The Original Manuscript - Part 1

I only recently discovered that only the first book of the manuscript for Paradise Lost still exists. I'd foolishly assumed that somewhere a beautiful original existed. And one day via the power of the Zuckerberg Machine I was targetted quite expectedly for a reproduction of John Milton's Paradise Lost. And just as I was about to order the moment led me to discover that there isn't a complete manuscript.  That bummed me out man - okay I'm not a sixties child, but it really did.

I've still ordered it though.

So after learning there wasn't a complete manuscript I researched what had survived. Only the first book it seems and so I searched online and learned that it had crossed the pond after being purchased by J P Morgan. It now resides in the Morgan museum which means I'm unlikely to get to see it in person any time so wondered what to do about that. You can learn more about what they have in the museum here:

https://www.themorgan.org/collection/John-Miltons-Paradise-Lost

I did want to do more on this site than just post a link and so contacted them to see what I could do and ended up licensing the images non-commercially so I can post them all here and expand this site as a resource on this site. It's also sparked an idea, but I'll keep quiet on that until I see how feasible it is.

But for now please enjoy the first batch of photos of what remains of John Milton's original manuscript for Paradise Lost. If you weren't already aware then Milton became blind before authoring the poem so this isn't his penmanship.

Page 1 - Blank inside cover very exciting and included for completeness.

Page 2 - Another blank page included for completeness - it does get more interesting soon!

Page 3 - We get to the good part :-)

Page 4 - Note the page numbers in the top left. The numbers don't match my numbering simply because I counted the blank sheets as well 

Page 5 - In the left margin you can the lines being counted

Page 6 - I remember having nice handwriting. I only write notes these days so it looks a bit like I'm filling out a prescription form :-)

Page 7 - I did wonder if the pages matched the print and of course, they don't

Page 8 - I always love noticing the differences and how the English language has changed over the years

Page 9 - And for purists who try to lock language into a fixed edifice we wouldn't have the word 'Pandemonium' in our vocabulary

Page 10 - My commentary hasn't added much of value, but I have enjoyed examining these pages again as I've posted them so refuse to apologise! 

That's the first batch - I'll try and poster the other two batches by the New Year. |I hope you've enjoyed them as I have and please remember these are not mine and my licence only allows displaying on this site.

A Day with John Milton by May Bryon

This was another accidental discovery while searching for more additions. The description sounded like an interesting idea. She wrote a series of short tales about a fictional day in the lives of famous poets and writers.

And it was short, much shorter than I expected although it is a compelling read. The day is set later in his life and after writing Paradise Lost. Milton's personality comes across much as I'd expected and I do wonder how accurate the portrayal is.

I'm currently writing a biography of Milton as part of my new AI Illustrated Edition (https://paradiselostaiedition.blogspot.com/) and while the research I'm doing is interesting May Byron's short tale is a more intimate and engaging approach. So much so that I might include it as it's out of copyright now and provide a richer context for the man,

Unfortunately, this isn't a great edition. I've nothing against Print on Demand and have used it myself but books like this are part of why the disdain exists. This is a minimal-effort reprint and the original illustrations are not included along with no information about the book at all - not even a publishing or print date. It's cheap to pick up though and a read that shed's some light on one of the English language's finest poets.

More for the Collection

Higher priority commitments (I do need to get paid, and saving Wellington's fellow GSDs does rank a tad higher than my personal projects) means that the long-awaited Milton biography for the AI Illustrated Edition is still not finished although some progress has been paid - he has now finished university!

Of course, that hasn't stopped me from purchasing more versions to add to the collection and this latest batch has a couple of interesting items.

Collins Classics Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained (2013)

Probably the most recent edition in the collection at less than 10 years old. However, it's a decent edition with both poems with two slightly novel features. The first is the Life and Times and while it's functionally similar to the usual biography it does expand on the context of events at the time of the poem's writing. Unfortunately, it is quite brief.

The other feature is a glossary of words and phrases from the time and this is much more extensive and quite a useful companion to the two poems. I'm tempted to do something similar although maybe as a separate booklet so that it can be more easily referenced while reading the main.

I have to confess that the main reason I picked this up (apart from the crazy goal of collecting a copy of every edition) was Gustav Dore's fantastic illustration. I'm more used to seeing the black and white illustrations and was struck by this bold rendition of the original.

The Poetical Works of Milton, Oxford University Press (1941)

This is a nice understated edition with soft leather binding and little ornamentation apart from thin gold lettering and motif on the spine, and a frame embossing on the covers. It's a lovely edition to hold, just the right weight and size something that seems to be rare with modern hardbacks. The comparison is a little unfair as age adds appeal but even so, there's clearly a difference. Perhaps due to more people reading hardbacks as paperbacks just weren't as common and before hardbacks became relegated to the collector or superfan.

There's a preface that examines each of the included poems with some brief history and also some commentary revealing some insight into each. While hardly extensive it does provide a compelling introduction to the book.

One of my favourite aspects of buying secondhand books is the personal history you occasionally discover. Inside it's handwritten to or from Marjorie Pearson dated Christmas 1941 and there's also an interesting sticker identifying the book as owned by Harold Hartley. There's no indication of a connection but I did wonder did the book provide some comfort to someone during the war or away from their family.  

John Milton's Paradise Lost in Plain English by Lanzara

This book is a line-by-line transliteration of the complete poem. Unlike Daniel Danielson's Parallel Prose edition there's little effort to make the plain English text a pleasing read in its own right. Against each line is a plain English version and I'd suggest that this probably works better as a companion, so if stuck on a particular line you can look it up here to learn the meaning.

It's a shame that it doesn't expand upon the basic meaning to help the reader understand the many classical and sometimes obscure references in the poem. It does exactly what the title states so it's unfair to judge it too harshly beyond that.

The author also write a novelisation of Paradise Lost which is a more pleasing read - you can find more of my thoughts on that book here:

https://paradiselostaiedition.blogspot.com/2022/11/paradise-lost-novel-by-joseph-lanzara.html

From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained (1972)

This book demonstrates that I should do at least a modicum of research before purchasing. Technically this isn't a Jehovah's Witness edition of Paradise Lost I assumed from the title although it does cover the same ground. I've only had a quick look so far and I think I'll have to give it a proper read as it looks like they've adapted the creation story to follow some form of science.

The copy is as old as I am and in a similar well-loved condition :-) It's aimed at younger readers with cheerful simple illustrations and many pen highlights. I think I'll probably buy another copy at some stage although I'll see if I can get an original 1958 print.

Drabble Classics - Paradise Lost by John Milton

Nearly a decade ago I wrote a lot more than I do currently and that included Drabbles. Drabbles are a short form of writing (typically fiction) of precisely 100 words not including the title. They are typically self-enclosed stories so they should be able to be read on their own. Still, I also created varied series (I really must finish The Imp series at some stage as he was an excellent character and so much fun to write. So much so that he's tattooed on my arm :-) The ending also wasn't too far away. If you want to discover who the Imp is then pay a visit here - http://thecultofme.blogspot.com/p/tales-of-imp.html), but even in a series, the individual drabble should tell a story of its own. 

Not only are drabbles a lot of fun and a quick way to blast out a story idea, but they are also an effective method for improving the brevity of your writing and improving your range of vocabulary. With this in mind, I created themed series that encouraged this development. One of those series was Drabble Classics and here I took a classic piece of literature and tried to fit it into a drabble. Naturally with my love of Paradise Lost, I decided to have a go with mixed success at the time. I think the rewrite is better, and the first drabble I've completed in years but you can judge the result for yourself.

Before we get to the drabble I also decided to create an illustration for it using Midjourney. I struggled a bit with this one for two main reasons. The first is that as this image would be a stand-alone I could try something in a different style. Here I lacked the method or vocabulary to accurately describe what I wanted. To a great extent, I ended up with many random iterations to edge closer to the vision.

More frustrating was Midjourney's ever-expanding list of banned words. I had noticed this previously, especially when creating horror-themed and darker-in-tone images. When it hampers trying to create Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden then I think it's gone too far! I do understand the reason for them, but it seems an inelegant way to tackle the issue of exploitative, pornographic or abusive imagery.  My top issue remains the difficulty in placing objects and subjects in the scene but the ridiculous selection of banned words has shot into my top[ three - so much so that I may have to cancel my subscription and look at an alternative solution.

Complaints aside I am still fairly happy with the end result although there's a certain irony here that I had to perform some manual edits as the generated source image was too sexually suggestive :-)

Adam and Eve depart from the Garden of Eden, no longer even able
to witness the splendour of the Earthly Paradise

Paradise Lost

Lucifer’s pride fomented rebellion and the Messiah’s might drove the rebels from Heaven. Remade as Satan, his pride undiminished, he plotted vengeance and declared to rule in Hell rather serve in Heaven.

From eternal night Satan entered the light of arboreal creation. With admiring hatred, Satan plotted against God’s favourites while clad in their innocence and Heavenly love they tended their splendid garden. 

With a serpent’s guile, Satan flattered Eve and she tasted the forbidden fruit. Despairing Adam consummated his wife’s original sin. Their disobedience expelled them from Eden their generations awaited the Messiah’s coming to return their paradise lost.

You can find drabbles based on other literary classics here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.com/p/drabble-classics.html

Paradise Lost: The Novel by Joseph Lanzara

This was a recent addition to my collection of different editions and versions of John Milton's Paradise Lost. I discovered it after finding the author's website which is a useful read in itself and also a decent introduction to the poem and John Milton:

https://www.paradiselost.org/

The book is precisely what the title states - a novelisation of the original poem. It's not a line-for-line transliteration so not quite as useful as a direct introduction to the poem. However, for those interested in the story and not in the original then this is a decent alternative.

Even though it loses the original's structure the novel's style does retain a flamboyant and archaic style that does carry the tale well. I'll confess that it took a chapter for me to break through the feeling of reading a historical novel, but once in the flow it worked just fine. Unfortunately, it highlights an issue with modern languages for this type of tale in that it contains concepts that shouldn't be familiar or even exist for the characters in the story (except maybe God I guess). 

In truth, this is caused by how Milton creates backstories for the divine characters - especially the fallen angels and the personalities before becoming the Fallen. This naturally leads on to how any of it could have happened in the first place but that's a bit beyond outlining the merits and issues of this book.

I found two issues in particular problematic. The first was that the narrative flow of the story is rearranged into chronological order (sort of, although technically it's probably an order of causation as time didn't exist for the first part of the story). I understand why the author made the change, but for me, it felt unnecessary as it's far from convoluted in the original and in doing so loses some of the drama and immediacy of the poem.

This version loses a lot of the metaphors and references that Milton was so fond of. Now, this does simplify the text and so easier to comprehend but also loses some of the richness and mystery. There's an odd paradox here that while Milton wrote this Christian origins tale to promote that particular theology those historical connections grounded it more solidly within the wider world's history.

That all being said the novel does represent the plot and characters of the story well. The pacing is good and if you just want to experience the story or want a gentle introduction to the poem then this is well worth a look.

Discover Paradise Lost: The Novel by Joseph Lanzara on Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22168372-paradise-lost

A Few More for the Collection

I have to confess that the project is slipping behind schedule, although in my defence for honourable reasons. One of them is a month long fundraising campaign supporting the German Shepherd Dog Welfare Fund - the charity that rescued Wellington who I adopted 18 months ago. I'm also volunteering with them. There are some excellent Halloween themed items you can bid on:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/authorne_50/m.html?item=364019964173&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.m3561.l2562

Of course, that doesn't prevent me from adding a few more books to the collection :-)

The Globe Edition (1934) - The Poetical Works of John Milton

 

I do already have an older version of this edition and it's unfortunate that they look almost exactly the same. And the separation of 30+ years indicates that there are a fair few of these. However, as I'm entering a 'Gotta Catch Em All' frame of mind there'll no doubt be a shelf full of these at some stage!

Okay, now I've placed them side by side the new one is small and puny in comparison :-)

Milton Paradise Lost - Longman Paperback (1986)

 

The 80s were my teen years and I guess they'll never seem that long ago to me. Even if my mind refuses to accept that 40-odd years is a reasonable time period, it is quite short considering the history of the source. However, it does have a couple of interesting aspects. The first is that it's aimed at an academic audience and has a considerable number of annotations bringing clarity to the more obscure references.

There's also a small personal story attached to it, all told by a sticker on the first front matter page. In the class of 85-86 a young lady named Sarah won this copy as Miss Boddington's prize for History at Norwich High School. I wonder if she had an interest in the book, or if it was a standard prize.

Paradise Lost The Novel by Joseph Lanzara

This was an accidental find after discovering the author's website - https://www.paradiselost.org/index-desk.html It is an interesting website with some useful information without being too dense. I can't comment on the novel (yet) as I haven't read, but certainly will do at some stage. I'm a fan of any attempt to allow Paradise Lost reach and ever wider audience.

The Space Inbetween

This is probably my favourite piece of contemporary art, and as we'll soon find out that's a good job really! It was created by the wonderfully talented Luciana Nedelea in Romania - check out some of her other work here:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYKj25lAl6prWllMAZ2S8VA

A3 prints with various designs
are available here
 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/364002142966

She's probably best known for her album cover art, but I've worked with her on t-shirt designs, a Cthulhu themed chess set and a book cover. And that was the original idea for this painting, it was to be the cover for a Lovecraft-Milton (the two most inspirational writers) crossover with the working title 'The Space Inbetween'.

The story's premise was to accept both Milton's and Lovecraft's worlds at face value and then explore that reality. And so we have the story of creation, God creates the physical universe we know and mankind falls from grace and despite that evolves to become masters of the stars. Unbeknownst to almost every living being  (except God and a few with special insight) God created the universe from the wreckage of a much older universe. That universe was the domain of the pantheon Lovecraft described in his mythos and the gods of humanity destroyed them in a war that saw nearly every diety also annihilated. 

The multiverse is a battleground of competing entities, some powerful enough to create universes of their own, but others use different methods. Our universe was then formed from the bones of the original creators, their followers and the upstart gods lost in the battle. It is their remains that formed the matter and energy we see around us. More than that it also forms the fabric of the universe, the essence of spacetime and the vast voids inside the atomic building blocks. 

The intensity of the Big Bang and the continual transformation of matter and energy erased any memory of the dead gods and elder beings - except those fragments in the void. At the height of humanity's worldly power, it develops technology capable of tearing the fabric of space and stirring the reformation of those once sundered. The memories of beings long lost filter into reality and so starts a war of cosmic scale for the possession of creation.

I really should actually write the story at some stage :-) For inspiration, I commissioned Luciana to work on a cover for it and here we have the result. While it was soon clear that the piece wasn't suited for a book cover (especially in the era of online stores and their tiny thumbnails) it did capture the core concepts as I'd imagined them. It also inspired an idea of how to tell the story in a different fashion that I really need to explore one day as I don't think I've seen it done before (although it probably has!).

Even though it hasn't yet been used for its intended purpose the image did have one major evolution to come. As part of my midlife crisis, I decided to have some tattoos done and I wanted something unique for the backpiece I loved how Luciana's picture told the story and the detail of it. And so I had it tattooed on my back!

The tattoo is actually bigger than the original painting :-)

This amazing image (along with some other great images) is available as an A3 print as part of the Halloween Horror Auction supporting the German Shepherd Dog Welfare Fund. Grab one for yourself now, and why not some as presents for friends - there's a multi-buy discount) here:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/364002142966

Other designs available: